Wrench having an angularly adjustable handle



April 11, 1961 WRENCH HAVING Filed Jan. 21, 1959 w. c. NALLEY 2,978,938 AN ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE 2 She ets-Sheet 1 Q I 5 [I a l E W////0/77 C". /Va//e5/ INVENTOR.

BYWM %w ATTORNEY April 11, 1961 w. c. NA LLEY 2,978,938

WRENCH HAVING AN ANGULAR LY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE Filed Jan. 21, 1959 2 SheetsSheet 2 W////0'7 C. /V'O//e INVENTOR.

WM w- ATTOIP/Vf) Unite States Patent WRENCH HAVING AN ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE HANDLE WilliamC. Nalley, West Columbia, Tex. Filed Jan. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 788,122

Claims. (Cl. til-177.8)

This invention relates'to new anduseful improvements in' a wrench.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wrench having novel means for reversing the position of the jaw inserts to provide a smooth or a toothed surface, as desired.

It is another object of the invention to provide a wrench having novel'means for adjusting theijaw spread.

It is another object of the invention to provide a wrenchhaving horizontally adjustable jaws, and having novel means for selective adjustment.

It is another object of the invention to provider-a wrench haveing a novel handle providing means for lateral adiustment of the handle extension.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a wrench having novel means for extending the length of the handle thereof.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a wrench having a handle and a head pivotally mounted on the handle with means for locking the head in the desired position with relationto the handle.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has relation to certain novel features of construction,

operation and arrangement of parts more particularly defined in the following specification and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the wrench,

partly in cross section.

Figure 2 is an elevational side view of the Wrench showing the alternate positions of the parts in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view, in cross section, illustrating the head and its connectionwith the handle.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional side view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is an elevational perspective view of .the removable insert.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings,the numeral 1 designates a wrench handle having thetelescoping sleeve 2 longitudinally movable on the handle 1 and the lower section 3 of the sleeve 2 beingpivotally mounted to the upper section for lateral adjustment.

The head 4 of'thewrench-is -pivotally mounted on the handle 1 so that the head may be selectively adjusted laterally. The upperend-of'the handle 1 is provided with suitable projections-forming grooves as 55,. 56 and 'jthef'head 4 has its abuttingedge provided' with projections "tofitin thegroovesi "Ports as -7,8, 9 andtlllare formed in the meshing parts of the head 4 and handle 1, which said ports are in horizontal alignment. A chamber 11 is formed in one side of the head 4 and a chamber 12 is formed in one side of the handle opposite the chamber 11 of the head 4 when the parts are connected. The chamber 12 has a reduced port 13 extending through the handle 1. A shaft 14 extends through the ports 7, 8, 9, and one end of the shaft 14 is formed with an enlarged head 15. The chamber 11 and head 15 are preferably hexagonal so that the shaft 14 will be retained against ice rotation while in locking position. The end of theshaft 14 opposite the head 15 is externally threaded to receive the nut 16 and the port 13 and nut 16 are preferably hexagonal so that the nut 16 will be retained. against rotation while in the port 13. A coil spring 17 is mounted on the shaft 14 within thechamber 12 and bears against one end of the chamber 12 and against the nut 16. When it is desired to release the jaw head 4 and adjust its position with the handle,t'he shaft 14 is moved horizontally by applying pressure against the spring 17, so that the head 15 is moved out of the chamber 11 and the nut 16 is moved into the chamber 12, and the .head 4 pivoted. When the position of the jaw head 4 is at the desired angle, the pressure against the spring 17 is released and the head 15 and nut 16 will move back into their respec tive chambers, locking the wrench jaw head 4 in position.

The head 4 has one fixed jaw 18 and one movable jaw 19. The jaws 18, 19 have recessed chambers as 20, 21 having their upper inside end walls flat and the lower inside end walls concave. The inserts 22, 23 are provided with a toothed face on one side and a smooth face on the other side and the lower ends of the inserts 23, 22 are convex, matching the concave end walls of the chambers 20, 21. Ports 24, 25 are formed through the tops of the jaws 18, 19 respectively, and at the upper end surfaces of the inserts 22, 23 internally threaded sockets are formed to receive suitable retaining bolts as 26, 26, which are extended through the ports 24, 25

The jaw 19 is reduced as at 27 and enlarged forming a rectangular leg 28 which is mounted in the rectangular chamber 29. A port 30 extends horizontally through the jaw 18 and an internally threaded port 31 extends horizontally through the leg 28. A shaft 32 having the externally threaded portion 33 and the knurled head 34 extends through the port 30 and into the port 31. The jaw 18 may be provided with a depression as 35 to receive the knurled head 32.

When the wrench is used on tubular goods, as a pipe wrench would ordinarily be used, the inserts 22, 23 are mounted so that the toothed faces are in gripping position and the flat faces abut the rear side wall of the chambers 20, 21. The inserts 22, 23 may he quickly and easily reversed by backing the bolts 26, 26 out of the sockets 25 and mounting the inserts in the chambers 20, 21 with the toothed faces abutting the rear side wall of the chambers 20, 21 and the bolts 26, 26 again screwed into the sockets 25.

The lower section 3 of the sleeve 2 may be provided with any suitable type of pivoting and locking device,

such as hereinabove described for locking the head 4 in position.

While the foregoing is considered a preferred form of the invention, it is by way of illustration only, the broad principle of the invention being defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a wrench, a handle, an adjustable head on said handle, a fixed jaw and a movable jaw on said head, said handle having upwardly extending projections and a horizontal passageway therethrough and an enlarged chamber in said passageway adjacent one side of said handle, a

port leading into said chamber, said head having projections matching with said projections on said handle and having a bore therethrough in alignment with the passageway in said handle, a rectangular chamber in one side of said head in alignment with said ports and opposite said chamber in said handle and a shaft extending through said ports and bore joining said handle and head, said shaft having an enlarged polygonal head on one end seated in said chamber in said head and being maintained thereby in a non-rotatable relation and being externally threaded at the other end, a nut on said threaded end head and handle in meshing relation,

"way having boxed raining shoulders, said of said shaft yieldingly seated in said port in said handle, and a spring on said shaft bearing against one end wall of said chamber in said handle and against said nut yieldingly holding the shaft and nut in locking position and said shaft being movable in said passageways to move said enlarged head in said chamber in said head out of said chamber and moving said nut in said port in said handle into said chamber in said handle to permit the head to be pivoted on said shaft.

2. In a wrench, a handle, a head pivotally mounted on said handle, means for locking said head in a selected projections on said said projections having transverse passageways therethrough in alignment, an

position on said handle comprising enlarged chamber in said head internally shaped to conform to the shape of a nut in alignment with said passageways and an enlarged chamber in said handle in alignment with said passageways and a reduced passageinternal side walls in said handle leading into said chamber and in alignment with said passageways throughsaid projections, a shaft mounted in said passageways having a bolt-head on one end shaped to fit in the chamber in said head and being maintained therein against rotation and external threads on the other end of said shaft, a nut mountable on said threaded end, a yieldable means on said shaft in said chamber in said handle bearing against the inside end wall of said chamber and against said nut, the said boxed passageway in said handle holding said nut against rotation, said shaft being horizontally movable against said yieldable means to move the nut out of said boxed passageway into the chamber in said handle and the bolt-head of said shaft out of said chamber in said wrench head to permit the wrench head to pivot on said handle.

3. In a wrench, a handle, a laterally adjustable head on said handle, a fixed jaw and a horizontally movable jaw on said head, a rectangular leg on said movable jaw and a reduced portion between said leg and the upper portion of said jaw, a rectangular chamber in said head in which said leg is mounted, the upper end wall of said rectangular chamber being inwardly turned forming retaining shoulders, said head having a horizontal port extending therethrough and into said rectangular chamber, said movable jaw having an internally threaded passageway therethrough in alignment with said port, an adjusting bolt mounted in said port and having an enlarged knurled portion at one end, an externally threaded portion at the other end, said externally threaded portion being received by said internally threaded passageway in said movable jaw, depressions in the opposing faces of said jaws, seats in the lower end faces of said depressions, flat inserts having toothed surfaces on one face and a flat surface on the opposing face, and having their lower ends tapered to seat in said seats in said depressions, means for anchoring the upper ends of said inserts in said seats.

4. In a wrench, a handle, a laterally adjustable head on said handle, a fixed jaw and a horizontally movable jaw on said head, a rectangular leg on said movable jaw and a reduced portion between said leg and the upper portion of said jaw, a rectangular chamber in said head in which said leg is mounted, the upper end wall of said rectangular chamber being inwardly turned forming rehead having a horizontal port extending therethrough and into said rectangular chamber, said movable jaw having an internally threaded passageway therethrough in alignment with said port, an adjusting bolt mounted in said port and having an enlarged knurled portion at one end, an externally threaded portion at the other end, said externally threaded portion being received by said internally threaded passageway in said movable jaw, depressions in the opposing faces of said jaws, seats in the lower end faces of said depressions, flat inserts having toothed surfaces on one face and a flat surface on the opposing face and having their lower ends tapered to seat in said seats in said depressions, means for anchoring the upper ends of said inserts in said seats, means for locking the handle and head in a selected position relative to each other comprising aligned passageways through said head and handle, a rectangular chamber in said head at the outer terminus of said last mentioned passageway, an enlarged chamber in said handle in alignment with said last mentioned passageway and adjacent its outer terminus in said handle, a rectangular chamber in said handle at the outer terminus of said last mentioned passageway in said handle, a shaft extending through said passageways having a polygonal head at one end mountable in said rectangular chamber in said head in a non-rotatable relation and being externally threaded at the other end, a nut mountable on said threaded end and a yieldable means in said chamber bearing against said nut to yieldingly hold said shaft in one position to lock said head against lateral movement with relation to said handle and movable into another position to move said shaft head out of said rectangular chamber in said head and said nut into said enlarged chamber in said handle permitting lateral movement of said head with relation to said handle.

5. In a wrench, a handle and a head, a fixed jaw and a movable jaw on said head, grooves in one end of said handle, projections on said head adapted to fit into said grooves, aligned passageways through said handle and head, a shaft mounted in said passageways, a rectangular chamber in said head into which said passageway terminates, a fixed nut on said shaft at the end terminating in said chamber and which seats in a non-rotatable rela tion in said chamber, an enlarged chamber in said handle in which said passageway terminates, a portion of said last mentioned chamber being reduced, a spring on said shaft in said enlarged chamber in said handle, a nut on said shaft seated in a non-rotatable relation in the reduced portion of the chamber in said handle with which one end of said spring is in contact, said shaft being manually movable horizontally to move said nuts on the respective ends thereof out of the respective chambers and permitting the head to swivel on the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 333,961 Lussier Ian. 5, 1886 556,151 Johnson Mar. 10, 1896 579,277 Lord et al. Mar. 23, 1897 860,949 Walters July 23, 1907 1,805,298 Schweigert May 12, 1931 2,558,374 Olsen et al. June 26, 1951 2,584,451 Hopp Feb. 5, 1952 2,692,784 McRae Oct. 26, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 64,861 Switzerland Feb. 28, 1913 29,261 France Mar. 17, 1925 735,318 Great Britain Aug. 17, 1952 667,849 Great Britain Mar. 5, 1952 

